Valencia CF go down 3-2 to last minute FC Barcelona penalty

October, 22 2016 -

A valiant Valencia CF conceded a last minute penalty as they went down 3-2 having earlier battled back with goals by Munir El Haddadi and Rodrigo in a hotly fought contest with plenty of incidents.

Lionel Messi put Barça ahead with a disputable goal as an off-side Luis Suárez impeded the view of goalkeeper Dani Alves but Valencia responded with strikes from Munir and Rodrigo.

The blanquinegros had the game between their teeth and even when Suárez had equalised they appeared the more likely side to win until the injury time penalty scored by Messi.

It was a bright start from the blanquinegros with the team pressing high up the pitch using the same formation as in the victory away to Sporting Gijon with two holding midfielders in Mario Suárez and Enzo Pérez.

Nani, returning from injury, started on the left wing and he made a dangerous early run while Joao Cancelo pushed Lucas Digne back on the side of the pitch.

Barça were given little space in which to play in and in fact midfielder Andres Iniesta went off injured after falling awkwardly following a good challenge from Pérez.

The visitors gradually began to see more of the ball but they had created little attacking threat when they took the lead.

Messi was set-up by Rakitic, who had come on for Iniesta, and his shot beat Alves whose view was unsighted by Suárez who jumped over the ball.

The referee turned away the protests of the Valencia players who then had to regather themselves and push forward. Cancelo burst down the right and crossed well in front of goal but the ball was just out of the reach of Rodrigo and Nani.

Rodrigo was then unlucky after he appeared to be pushed in the penalty area by Umtiti.

It was a tough game with emotions running high and yellow cards for both sides. With the quality that Barça have in attack they are capable of unsettling any side but Alves did well to deny a couple of Suárez efforts with his hands and then feet.

Prandelli’s side lost Jose Luis Gayà to injury with Abdennour coming on but they still finished the first half strongly with Dani Parejo having a shot saved in a one-on-one with Marc-André Ter Stegen and then he also was unable to control a ball 15 yards out.

After the break, Alves parried a fierce shot from Neymar and Rakitic from a narrow angle hit the post before Valencia turned the game around.

Valencia were putting the pressure on and it was Munir who equalised with a sweetly struck drive from just inside the box after being picked out by Parejo.

Nani then teased the Barça defence on the left and then dinked the ball into the box where Rodrigo slipped the ball home.

Barca remained a threat, though, and while Alves did well to block a Rakitic header from a corner, Suárez was on hand to fire the ball in.

It was a tense closing stage to the game with the best chance falling to Nani who cracked the ball wide from inside the area, until the penalty where, Aymen Abennour clipped Suárez, and Alves was inches away from getting to Messi’s spot-kick.

Copyright 2013-2017 Valencia Club De Fútbol. Quoting text from this article is permitted provided that en.valenciacf.com is credited as source, with a clickable link.
Photographs by Lázaro de la Peña, re-use is not permitted.